The MHV (miniature high voltage) connector is a type of

RF connector A coaxial RF connector (radio frequency connector) is an electrical connector designed to work at radio frequencies in the multi-megahertz range. RF connectors are typically used with coaxial cables and are designed to maintain the shielding ...

used for terminating

coaxial cable Coaxial cable, or coax (pronounced ) is a type of electrical cable consisting of an inner conductor surrounded by a concentric conducting shield, with the two separated by a dielectric ( insulating material); many coaxial cables also have a ...

Description

The connector looks almost identical to a typical

BNC connector The BNC connector (initialism of "Bayonet Neill–Concelman") is a miniature quick connect/disconnect radio frequency connector used for coaxial cable. It is designed to maintain the same characteristic impedance of the cable, with 50 ohm and ...

, but is designed to not mate with BNC jacks. It features two bayonet lugs on the female connector; mating is fully achieved with a quarter turn of the coupling nut. The dimensions of the connector are specified in the MIL-STD-348B. MHV connectors can be recognized by the slightly protruding insulation on the male plug and the slightly different insulation length in the female jack.

Use

The MHV connector is typically rated for 1500 RMS Continuous & 5000 .volt peak and 3

ampere The ampere (, ; symbol: A), often Clipping (morphology), shortened to amp,SI supports only the use of symbols and deprecates the use of abbreviations for units. is the unit of electric current in the International System of Units (SI). One amp ...

. With an operating frequency limited to about 300 MHz their usage is restricted to low frequency applications. It was commonly used in laboratory settings for voltages beyond the rating of BNC connectors. Furthermore they are used in: *

geiger counter A Geiger counter (also known as a Geiger–Müller counter) is an electronic instrument used for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation. It is widely used in applications such as radiation dosimetry, radiological protection, experimental ...

scintillation Scintillation can refer to: *Scintillation (astronomy), atmospheric effects which influence astronomical observations *Interplanetary scintillation, fluctuations of radio waves caused by the solar wind *Scintillation (physics), a flash of light pro ...

probes *

Transmission Line In electrical engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable or other structure designed to conduct electromagnetic waves in a contained manner. The term applies when the conductors are long enough that the wave nature of the transmi ...

s *

High Voltage Power Supplies A power supply is an electrical device that supplies electric power to an electrical load. The main purpose of a power supply is to convert electric current from a source to the correct voltage, current, and frequency to power the load. As a ...

* Nuclear Control Instrumentation *

X-ray X-rays (or rarely, ''X-radiation'') are a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. In many languages, it is referred to as Röntgen radiation, after the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered it in 1895 and named it ' ...

Safety hazards

*MHV connectors are presently considered by some as a '' safety hazard'' because of the possibility of high voltage on the exposed central pin when not plugged in, and because the ground connection is broken before the power connection when demating. *Despite their design differences, MHV and BNC plugs and jacks can be made to mate by brute force. This causes safety hazards, since a user can accidentally (or deliberately) mate a low voltage cable to a high voltage jack; however, in a correctly made MHV connector the pin is further back in the insulator than on BNC so theoretically they should never be able to make contact when used with BNC.

SHV connector The SHV (safe high voltage) connector is a type of RF connector used for terminating a coaxial cable. The connector uses a bayonet mount similar to those of the BNC and MHV connectors, but is easily distinguished due to its very thick and protru ...

s are designed to prevent these hazards, and cannot be mated to BNC connectors.

References

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External links

MIL-STD-348B
RF connectors {{electrical-connector-stub